Q: Bought this mask online several years ago. I’m guessing it’s Swiss or Italian. The nose and chin were carved to appear “split” down the center. The wood is dense and smells like cedar.Teeth are plastic. No idea of age but it appears to be older. Any ideas as to origin? Dan
A: I agree with you– it’s an unusual mask.
Reminds me of large tropical nuts. Never seen anything like it. There are still a lot of wood mask carvers in Europe, especially in the Alpine areas. One of them might have carved it for a change of pace. Some of the carnivals inspire strange masks. Of course, that’s just a guess. B
One Comment
Aaron
You could be right on the Swiss. Tyrolean carvers like to use cedar. Modern carnival (masks in Basel have huge noses kind of like this, so it could be related to the Basler Fasnacht.